Bingo paper

ABSTRACT

Bingo players are provided with inexpensive electronic pagers that signal the current status of bingo cards purchased by players. A central computer automatically verifies all bingo cards sold to all players each time a new bingo number is called. Over a radio channel, the central computer notifies the electronic pagers of the current status of bingo cards purchased by the respective holders of the pagers. The pagers receive data transmitted by the central computer and display the received data including an identification of the leading bingo card and an indication of a bingo number needed to complete bingo. An identification of the bingo cards being monitored by the pager is input into the pager by a player via the pager&#39;s keypad or by a cashier that operates a point-of-sale terminal. The point-of-sale terminal communicates with the central computer and optionally with the electronic pagers as well.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates generally to the field of gamingsystems. More particularly, to the field of automated bingo systems. Thepresent invention uniquely informs a bingo player of a bingo game statusincluding the status of the player's cards being played, which cards arenearest bingo and numbers needed to attain bingo.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

[0002] U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,455,025 and 4,624,462 to Itkis disclose a bingosystem including a bingo caller terminal and a plurality of electronicbingo player units receiving bingo data from the bingo caller terminalover a wireless network. Principles of these patents are embodied in thepopular Bingo Star® system manufactured by FortuNet, Inc., of Las Vegas,Nev. and other similar bingo systems manufactured by various othervendors. Some of such systems are described for example, in bingoindustry publications “Bingo on the Rebound”, International Gaming &Wagering Business, March 2000; “The Electronic Invasion”, Bingo Manager,August 1995; “Technology In the Palm of Your Hand”, Bingo Manager,November 1997; “The Electronic Management of Information”, BingoManager, September 1997; “Calling on Caller Equipment”, Bingo Manager,February 1998; “Color and Animation Improve Hand-Held Bingo”, BingoManager, October 1999; “Management Information Systems Insure HallIntegrity”, Bingo Manager, June 2000; “Electronics Evolve with NewIdeas”, Bingo Manager, July 2000; “High Stakes Games Create Excitementand Profits”, Bingo Manager, August 2000.

[0003] In the Bingo Star® environment, bingo players purchase electronicbingo cards at a point-of-sale terminal. A cashier operating apoint-of-sale terminal provides a player with a sales receipt and anelectronic bingo player unit that is downloaded (via a point-of-salesterminal) with bingo cards identified on the sales receipt. Via embeddedradio receiver, the player unit receives data from a bingo callerterminal, e.g., called bingo numbers and bingo patterns, and byverifying downloaded bingo cards with received data, checks whether anyof the downloaded bingo cards are winning cards. In such a case, aplayer unit plays a winning tune and displays a winning bingo card, aplayer announces “bingo” and a bingo caller verifies a winning bingocard with the help of a bingo caller terminal. Electronic bingo playerunits extensively process bingo data received over the air and/or wireand mark (also known as “daub”) a player's bingo card in accordance withcalled bingo numbers and bingo patterns. In addition, the unitstypically determine player's leading bingo cards which are closest towinning and often, display the bingo numbers the best cards need to winthe game. Although Bingo Star® and other similar bingo player units arefully adequate for playing bingo in a bingo hall, being full-fledgedPC-compatible computers, they are rather expensive and labor-intensive.In particular, the units require substantial computational resources,need to be recharged frequently and require downloading of massive dataincluding bingo schedules and bingo cards sold to players.

[0004] In essence, Bingo Star® and similar bingo systems are distributedprocessing systems wherein electronic player units perform the balk ofdata processing and the central computer is utilized only to verify thewinning bingo cards that are detected by electronic bingo player units.An alternative to such a distributed processing is represented by aPLATO® educational system that in recent years started to be exploitedcommercially. PLATO® systems include a “bingo lesson” in which a usermanually daubs his/her bingo card displayed on the computer terminalscreen. The user mentally monitors the current status of his/her bingocard and manually signals to the central PLATO® computer that a bingooccurred on the bingo card being played. In response, PLATO's® centralcomputer verifies that the card is indeed a winning card. In essence, aBingo Star® player unit automatically performs functions of a “student”in the PLATO® environment.

[0005] In recent years, numerous bingo sites have proliferated theInternet. Such bingo sites, such as bingo.com, zanybingo.com andfreeonlinebingo.com, also offer players a simulation of conventionalpaper bingo game. Similarly to PLATO®, the internet bingo sitestypically require players to (a) manually mark bingo cards displayed onthe computer screen and (b) mentally detect the winning bingo pattern.Although the computers participating in an Internet bingo game may bevery advanced, they essentially act as “dumb” terminals while theplayers mentally perform all data processing relevant to bingo game.Casinos and bingo halls, however, embrace electronic bingo player unitsas effective means of relieving bingo players from the chores of manualbingo to facilitate a bingo players' participation in activities thatare additionally profitable for the gaming enterprise, such as slotmachine playing and pulltab playing. Note also that not only “dumb”computer terminals inefficient in a gaming establishment environment,they are also quite expensive even more so than expensive dedicatedelectronic bingo player units optimized for playing bingo.

[0006] To avoid high expenses typically associated with electronic bingoplayer units and computer terminals adapted for playing bingo, U.S. Pat.No. 5,951,396 to Tawil and co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No.60/241,982 propose an alternative implementation of a computerized bingosystem that automatically detects winning bingo cards without the needto provide each player with an electronic bingo player unit.Specifically, Tawil teaches a plurality of point-of-sale terminalsselling barcoded paper bingo cards to players. The point-of-saleterminals send sales data to a central computer, and the latterautomatically verifies all sold bingo cards every time a new bingonumber is called. Eventually, the system detects a winning card (orcards) and signals the end of the game. Although the system avoids aneed to utilize expensive electronic bingo player units (and/or computerterminals), it lacks the ability to inform each player about the currentstatus of his/her bingo cards. In particular, Tawil's system does notinform the player which cards are closest to winning and which bingonumbers are needed to win the game.

[0007] Well known bingo flashboards, such as radio-controlledflashboards disclosed by Lloyd in U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,389 are widelyaccepted means of delivering relevant information to bingo players.Although, rather inexpensive “per head” such displays do not deliverplayer-specific information unique to a particular player.

[0008] Electronic pagers were suggested for use as inexpensive means fordelivery of game outcome information to gamblers. Note that the low costof pagers is due to the fact that by merely displaying received data asis, without performing complicated data processing functions, pagersneed only minimum data processing resources and are power-efficient. Forexample, U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,983 to Walker et al. suggests pagers asinexpensive means for informing casino players about the outcome of apending casino game, such as a slot game. However, Walker's device is inessence a mere extension of a regular slot machine and is incapable ofplaying group games, such as bingo, wherein a player plays against otherplayers rather than against a machine. Moreover, Walker's device is notconducive to sales of bingo cards at a bingo hall's point-of-saleterminal or on the floor of a bingo hall. Also, it has no provision formanual entry of called bingo numbers that is required in manyjurisdictions.

[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 5,212,636 to Nakazawa discloses another pager-likedevice that receives horse racing data, selects a subset of the datathat is of interest to the player and compares the outcome of the racewith player's “prediction”, i.e., player's bet. Although Nakazawa'sdevice receives information like a pager, in essence, it is afull-fledged autonomous player unit that processes publicly availableinformation in conjunction with player-entered data and computes anoutcome of a player's bet resulting from a horse race. Further,Nakazawa's device is not adapted for bingo game and is not conducive tosales of bingo cards at a bingo hall's point-of-sale terminal or on thefloor of a bingo hall. Moreover, it does not allow for player's manualentering of called bingo numbers.

[0010] Therefore, there exists an unsolved need to provide bingo hallpatrons with inexpensive and efficient means of signaling the currentstatus of their cards, e.g., displaying the leading bingo cards closestto winning.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The present invention accomplishes the primary objective ofanswering the above stated heretofore unsolved need to provide bingoplayers with inexpensive efficient devices displaying and announcing thecurrent status of their bingo cards.

[0012] It is an additional objective of the invention to make suchdevices portable and capable of wireless communication.

[0013] It is a further objective of the invention to provide anindication of the leading game cards and their degree of closeness tothe winning.

[0014] It is a further additional objective to adapt such devices forsales of bingo cards at the point-of-sale terminal and on the floor ofgaming establishment as well.

[0015] It is a further objective to make the devices capable of both afully automatic playing and an interactive playing with some degree ofplayer participation in marking called numbers to comply with certainjurisdictional restrictions.

[0016] It is a further objective to make such devices flexible andadaptable for a broad range of applications. In particular, theinvention accomplishes the objective of rendering such devices capableof issuing service requests, such as requests for additional bingocards, change and cocktails.

[0017] It is a further objective to make communication with such devicesprioritized in accordance with the degree of closeness to winning ofbingo cards being monitored by the devices in order to assure a promptdelivery of winning messages.

[0018] These and other objectives of the invention will become moreapparent from the following drawings and the description of thepreferred embodiment.

[0019] The focal point of the invention is a bingo pager that receivespre-computed data, from a central computer, readily identifying thecurrent status of bingo cards sold to the holder of the bingo pager. Thebingo cards are typically sold at a point-of-sale terminal and arelinked with a pager including a manufacturer's identification numbercarried on a barcode label attached to a pager that is read into apoint-of-sale terminal with the help of a barcode reader. Each salestransaction is reported or transmitted by a point-of-sale terminal to acentral bingo caller terminal. With every new called bingo number thebingo caller terminal automatically verifies all bingo cardsparticipating in a game and by doing so determines the current status ofbingo cards assigned or sold to each bingo pager. Thereafter, the bingocaller terminal broadcasts computed current status of bingo cards to allbingo pagers over a radio channel. Each bingo pager selects out of theentire received data stream specific data addressed to the pager (e.g.,carrying a manufacturer's identification number of a specific pager) anddisplays the current status of bingo cards purchased by the holder ofthe pager. In addition, a bingo pager emits various sounds (e.g.,briefly “beeps” when a new bingo number is called by a bingo callerterminal and plays a tune when one of the cards monitored by the bingopager wins) as the game progresses.

[0020] The default mode of operation of a bingo pager is a totallyautomatic mode that does not require any interaction with a player.However, absolute automatic playing of bingo cards may be prohibited insome jurisdictions. Therefore, a bingo pager is provided with a limitedcapability to accept a player's input. For example, a bingo pager may beable to accept a player's pressing of the “ENTER” pushbutton. The act ofsuch player input signals a player's confirmation of the latest calledbingo number that is highlighted on said pager's screen.

[0021] Although a bingo pager has very limited computationalcapabilities, it can nevertheless display on its screen any informationtransmitted by a bingo caller terminal. In particular, it can displaygeneral game related information, including bingo patterns being playedand bingo prizes available, to players. Moreover, a central computertransmits non-bingo-related information, including advertisements, whichthe bingo pager can display as well.

[0022] Being equipped with a radio transceiver, the bingo pager can senddata to the bingo caller terminal. For example, the bingo pager can sendan identification of purchased bingo cards entered by a player via apager's keypad. As a result, the bingo pager may be used in anenvironment wherein bingo cards are sold at a point-of-sale terminal andalso on the floor of bingo hall. Moreover, even without sending anyinformation to a bingo caller terminal a bingo pager may be used in afloor sales environment. In particular, a bingo pager can select, fromthe entire data stream transmitted by a caller terminal, specific dataapplicable to bingo cards purchased by a player who enters into a bingopager an identification of purchased cards (e.g., a serial number of thepurchased pack of bingo cards) In addition, the bingo pager can sendvarious service requests such as requests for “CHANGE” or “MORE CARDS”.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023]FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an automated bingo systemincluding a point-of-sale terminal, a bingo caller terminal and a bingopager.

[0024]FIG. 2 illustrates an internal architecture of a point-of-saleterminal, a bingo caller terminal and a bingo pager.

[0025]FIG. 3 illustrates various data packets broadcast by a bingocaller terminal.

[0026]FIG. 4 illustrates various screens displayed on a bingo pager.

[0027]FIG. 5 illustrates a sample flowchart of a bingo pager.

[0028]FIG. 6 illustrates various flowchart stabs of a bingo pager.

[0029]FIG. 7 illustrates a prioritized train of data packets broadcastby a bingo caller terminal.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0030] The present invention is illustrated in FIG. 1 including a bingopager 1, a bingo caller terminal 2 and a point-of-sale terminal 3. Asshown in FIG. 1, bingo pager I is an electronic programmable deviceequipped with an inexpensive alphanumerical character Liquid CrystalDisplay (“LCD”) 4, a twelve key keypad 5 and a radio antenna 6. Said LCD4 may be a five line by fourteen character display. The keypad 5includes ten numerical buttons 7, an “ENTER” button 8 and “MENU” button9. Although only one bingo pager 1 is shown in FIG. 1, in practicalimplementation, any number of bingo pagers 1 may be utilized by a bingohall. Bingo caller terminal 2 is a PC-compatible computer 11 equippedwith a color graphics LCD touchscreen display 12 and a radio antenna 13.Point-of-sale terminal 3 is also a PC-compatible computer 14 equippedwith a color graphics LCD touchscreen display 15 and a radio antenna 16.Via cable 17, point-of-sale terminal 3 is interconnected with a receiptprinter 18 capable of printing a sales receipt 19. Point-of-saleterminal 3 is also interconnected with a barcode reader 20 via cable 21.Optionally, point-of-sale terminal 3 may be interconnected with bingocaller terminal 2 over a local area network cable 22.

[0031] The internal architecture of bingo pager 1 is illustrated in FIG.2. As shown in FIG. 2, bingo pager 1 incorporates a low costprogrammable microcontroller 23, such as a “DragonBall-EZ”microcontroller manufactured by Motorola Corporation that controls itsoperations. In particular, microcontroller 23 is interconnected withmonochrome character LCD display 4 via cable 24, with keypad 5 via cable25 and with speaker 26 via cable 27. Microcontroller 23 is alsointerconnected via cable 28 with a BlueTooth® transceiver 29, such asBlueTooth Radio transceiver manufactured by Ericsson Corporation, andthe latter in its turn, is interconnected with antenna 6 via a coaxialcable 30. Programmable microcontroller 23 stores a unique manufacturer'sidentification number corresponding to bingo pager 1 that is provided ina barcoded form on label 10 in its non-volatile memory (not specificallyshown in FIG. 2).

[0032] PC-compatible computer 11 of bingo caller terminal 2 incorporatesa Central Processing Unit (“CPU”) 31, such as Intel Pentium-4 highperformance CPU and a BlueTooth® transceiver 32. CPU 31 isinterconnected with a high-resolution color graphics touchscreen LCD 12via cable 33 and with BlueTooth® transceiver 32 via cable 34. BlueTooth®transceiver 32 is interconnected with antenna 13 via a coaxial cable 35.PC-compatible computer 14 of point-of-sale terminal 3 also incorporatesa CPU 36 and a BlueTooth® transceiver 37. CPU 36 is interconnected witha high-resolution color graphics touchscreen LCD 15 via cable 38 andwith BlueTooth® transceiver 37 via cable 39. BlueTooth® transceiver 37is interconnected with antenna 16 via a coaxial cable 40.

[0033] Via inexpensive BlueTooth® transceivers 29, 32 and 37, bingopager 1, bingo caller terminal 2 and point-of-sale terminal 3 send andreceive messages to and from each other at a high data rate.Architecture and operation of BlueTooth® transceivers is comprehensivelydescribed in many industry publications, including “Specification of theBlueTooth System v. 1.0 B” published Dec. 1, 1999 by Ericssoncorporation such that the specific details of BlueTooth® communicationprotocols are omitted here. Similarly, the conventional techniques ofinterfacing and programming microcontrollers and PC-compatible computersare well known to practitioners of the art, and therefore are omitted aswell. Following teachings of Itkis embodied in Bingo Star® system andthe like, bingo caller terminal 2 broadcasts via antenna 13 bingo gamedata, such as called bingo numbers and game-over command as illustratedin FIG. 3c and FIG. 3b respectively.

[0034]FIG. 3a illustrates a typical data packet 41 received by bingopager 1 from bingo caller terminal 2. Conventional BlueTooth® header andtrailer fields 42 and 43 encapsulate data packet 41. Theapplication-specific content of data packet 41 consists of a destinationfield 44, a message identification field 45 and a number of optionaldata fields 46, 47 through 48. Drawings FIG. 3b-FIG. 3f provide specificexamples of application-specific data packets. For example, FIG. 3billustrates a data packet addressed to all bingo pagers 1 as evidencedby the destination field “ALL”49. With the exception of the destinationfield 49, data packet of FIG. 3b consists only of a messageidentification field 45. Specifically, FIG. 3b illustrates a data packetnotifying all bingo pagers 1 that a bingo game is over as evidenced bythe data filed “GAME OVER”50. Similarly, FIG. 3c illustrates anotherdata packet addressed to all bingo pagers 1. The data packet of FIG. 3cincludes a message identification field equal to “LAST CALL” 51 and adata field “BALL #” 52. Message identification 51 informs all bingopagers 1 that the immediately following data field 52 carriesinformation about the last called bingo number and the data field 52identifies the last called bingo number.

[0035] Drawings FIG. 3d-FIG. 3f illustrate examples of data packetsaddressed to individual bingo pagers 1. The destination field of datapackets shown in FIGS. 3c-3 f contains “UNIT #” 53 corresponding to amanufacturer's identification number barcoded on label 10 that uniquelyidentifies a specific bingo pager 1. The message identification field“BINGO” 54 illustrated in FIG. 3f informs a unit that it is a winningunit. The first optional data field “CARD #” 55 informs bingo pager 1which specific bingo card, or cards, is a winning card, and an optionalsecond data field “FACE” 56 carries contents of the winning bingo card.The message identification field “ON” 57 illustrated in FIG. 3e informsa specific bingo pager 1 that it is just one number away from bingo. Anoptional first data field “BALL #” 58 informs bingo pager 1 whichspecific bingo number it requires to achieve bingo, and an optionalsecond data field “CARD #” 60 informs bingo pager 1 which specific bingocard, or cards, is one number away from bingo. The messageidentification field “AWAY” 61 illustrated in FIG. 3d informs a unitthat it is at least two numbers away from bingo. The first optional datafield “# OF BALLS” 62 informs bingo pager 1 how many numbers away frombingo its leading bingo card is, and an optional second data field “# OFCARDS” 63 informs bingo pager 1 the number of its bingo cards which areleading cards.

[0036] The operation of an automated bingo system illustrated in FIG. 1is controlled by bingo caller terminal 2 and by point-of-sale terminal3. Bingo pager 1 plays a subservient role and simply displays receivedinformation originating at bingo caller terminal 2 and/or point-of-saleterminal 3. Similarly to Bingo Star® system and the like, point-of-saleterminal 3 registers sales of all bingo cards to bingo players.Typically, bingo cards are sold to players in multiples of six calledpacks. Each sold pack typically has a unique identification number. Suchan identification number is often printed on a side of paper bingo packand in the case of electronic bingo cards each “virtual” pack of cardsis automatically assigned a unique identification number bypoint-of-sale terminal 3. FIG. 1 illustrates a sales receipt 19accompanying a sale of five bingo packs starting from pack numberdenoted 64 and concluding with a pack number denoted 65. Sales receipt19 shown in FIG. 1 is issued by point-of-sale terminal 3 and is printedon receipt printer 18. Point-of-sale terminal 3 assigns a uniquesequential receipt or transaction number 66 to sales receipt 19. Salesreceipt 19 is also imprinted with a manufacturer's identification numberor unit number 67 of a specific bingo pager 1 that accompanies salesreceipt 19. In addition, sales receipt 19 is imprinted with a barcodelabel 97 that uniquely identifies receipt 19. For example, barcode 97may carry receipt number 66, unit number 67, pack numbers 64 and 65,and/or any combination of the above parameters 64 through 67 in anencoded form.

[0037] As stated above, unit number 53 equal to manufacturer'sidentification number 67 shown on receipt 19 of pager 1 is barcoded onlabel 10 and is stored in memory of bingo pager 1. In order to link asales receipt 19 to a specific bingo pager 1, a cashier reads intopoint-of-sale terminal 3 a barcode label 10 with the help of barcodereader 20. In the alternative, a cashier may simply manually entermanufacturer's unit number 67 into point-of-sale terminal 3 via itstouchscreen 15. Similarly to Bingo Star® system and the like,point-of-sale terminal 3 transmits data packets detailing each salestransaction specifically including unit number 53, receipt number 66,first pack number 64 and last pack number 65 as illustrated in FIG. 3gto bingo caller terminal 2, via antenna 6 and/or via local area network22. Bingo caller terminal 2 acts as a file server and stores in adatabase, such as an ACESS® database, all received sale receipts 19. Thedatabase specifically includes the identification of each sale receipt19 along with the associated unit number 67 and the identification ofsold bingo packs 64 through 65. For every bingo game being played, bingocaller terminal 2 automatically links identifications of each sold bingopack with bingo cards included in the bingo pack. Note that paper bingopacks are precut and collated from standard preprinted pages of bingocards, and therefore, there exists a predetermined relationship betweenbingo pack identification numbers and bingo cards assigned to a givenbingo pack in each particular bingo game. Manufacturers of electronicbingo devices also adapted a similar technique of linking bingo packswith electronic bingo cards in every bingo game. Similarly to Tawil andco-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 60/241,982, bingo callerterminal 2 automatically verifies all sold bingo cards each time a newbingo number is called and/or a new bingo pattern is introduced. Bingocaller terminal 2 also ranks all bingo cards participating in the gameby their degree of closeness to bingo. Once a bingo is detected by bingocaller terminal 2, the game is automatically stopped by bingo callerterminal 2, and optionally, prize payouts attributable to winning bingocards are automatically computed by bingo caller terminal 2.

[0038] Bingo caller terminal 2 proceeds beyond simple detection ofwinning bingo cards. Specifically, bingo caller terminal 2 retrievesfrom the stored database the identity of the specific sales receipt 19that the winning bingo card belongs to and broadcasts via antenna 13 adata packet illustrated in FIG. 3f. As shown in FIG. 3f, this datapacket specifically includes manufacturer's identification number 67 ofthe winning bingo pager 1. In essence, bingo caller terminal 2 pages aspecific bingo pager 1. In response, the target bingo pager 1, having amatching manufacturer's identification number 67 beeps via speaker 26and/or vibrates to alert a player and displays a face number of thewinning bingo card as illustrated in FIG. 4c. Optionally, bingo pager 1also displays the winning card itself as illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG.4m. Note that although the capabilities of an inexpensive character LCDdisplay 4 are severely limited, it is still possible to indicate on sucha display the daubed bingo numbers by under-scrolling such numbers onthe displayed bingo card as illustrated in FIG. 4m.

[0039] Unlike bingo player units disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,462,bingo pager I does not derive new information by processing receiveddata. In particular, bingo pager 1 does not determine the current statusof bingo cards by comparing bingo card contents with received calledbingo numbers and bingo patterns being played. Instead, bingo pager 1simply displays the current status of bingo cards as determined by bingocaller terminal 2. The principles of operation of bingo pager 1 areillustrated in more detail in the simplified flowchart shown in FIG. 5.Upon power-up/reset 68, microcontroller 23 executes an initializationroutine “INIT” 69 that prepares bingo pager 1 for further operation.Once initialized, microcontroller 23 enters into the main execution loopthrough its entry point “A” 70. The main execution loop starts withreceive packet routine “RX PACKET” 71. Subsequently in step “MY?” 72,the microcontroller 23 checks whether the packet is addressed to it,such that the field “UNIT #” 53 in the received packet matches itsmanufacturer's identification number 67 stored in the memory of saidmicrocontroller 23. If the received packet is indeed addressed to thebingo pager 1 in question, microcontroller 23 checks whether thereceived packet has a message identifier field “BINGO” 54 by executing atest step “BINGO?” 73. If test 73 is positive, microcontroller 23executes step “DISPLAY CARD #” 74 that results in displaying the winningcard number on display 4 of bingo pager 1 as shown in FIG. 4c. If thetest for bingo fails, microcontroller 23 re-enters the main loop at thepoint “A” 70. If the received packet is not addressed to the bingo pager1 in question, as determined by the primary test “MY?”=0 72,microcontroller 23 executes an additional test “NEW?” 75. The lattertest is performed in order to determine whether the received packetcarries information about a new called bingo number as is shown in thepacket illustrated in FIG. 3c. If it is determined that a new bingonumber indeed arrived microcontroller 23 causes display 4 to show thenew called bingo number as shown in FIG. 4b by executing step “DISPLAY#” 76. If no new called bingo number is detected in step 75, a finalcheck is made in step “END?” 77 to determine whether the arrived packetcarries the end of game command as illustrated in FIG. 3b. If test 77confirms that the game is over, microcontroller 23 displays on display 4the name of the next game in step “DISPLAY NEXT GAME” 78. Otherwise,microcontroller 23 re-enters main loop at point “A” 70. Whatever thedisplay operation may be performed by microcontroller 23 in steps 74, 76and 78, upon completion of either operation, microcontroller 23re-enters the main loop at point “A” 70.

[0040] Capabilities of bingo pager 1 can be substantially expandedthrough improvements of its software and hardware. For example, theflowchart in FIG. 5 illustrates only a very simple version of a programrunning on microcontroller 23. This program can be easily generalized toinclude additional features without departure from the main principlesof the invention. For example, main loop starting at point “A” 70 mayinclude an additional subroutine shown in FIG. 6a that processes the“ON” cases when only one number is needed to complete bingo. Thesubroutine shown in FIG. 6a starts with step “ON?” 79 and checks whetherthe received data packet signifies that a bingo card is “ON” asindicated by the message identifier field “ON” 57 shown in FIG. 3e. Ifso, a ball number carried in an optional field “BALL #” 58 is displayedby microcontroller 23 on a LCD display 4 in step “DISPLAY ON #” 80 asshown in FIG. 4d. Otherwise, the routine exits.

[0041] Similarly, FIG. 6b shows an optional subroutine checking for“AWAY” packets carrying information about how far away from bingo unit's53 leading card currently is. The overall structure of the subroutineshown in FIG. 6b is identical to the structure of the subroutine shownin FIG. 6a. It includes the test step “AWAY?” 81 and a display step“DISPLAY X CARDS Y AWAY” 82, wherein “X” is the number of matches neededto complete a bingo as shown in FIG. 3d and “Y” is the number of leadingbingo cards. The “X” and “Y” values are extracted by microcontroller 23from the data fields “# OF BALLS” 61 and “# OF CARDS” 62 illustrated inFIG. 3d.

[0042] As described above, bingo pager 1 operates without any playerintervention. In some jurisdictions, laws and/or regulations mayprohibit a fully automatic detection of bingo as so-called“auto-daubing”. In order to use essentially the same bingo pager 1 insuch restrictive jurisdictions, its program has to be modified toinclude at least some interaction with a player. For example, whendisplay 4 shows a new called bingo number as illustrated in FIG. 4b itmay be displayed with blinking under-scroll. Further updating of thedisplay 4 may be suspended until and unless a player presses “ENTER”button 8 or in even more restrictive jurisdictions a player enters thedigits of the newly called number into keypad 5. The operation of bingopager 1 in such a mode is illustrated in subroutine shown in FIG. 6c.The subroutine of FIG. 6c starts at the point “B” 83 of main loop.Similarly to main loop of FIG. 5, the subroutine of FIG. 6c starts withthe test “NEW #” 84. If a new called bingo number is detected in step84, then a flag is set in step 85 and the newly called bingo number isdisplayed in the subsequent step “DISPLAY BLINKING #” 86. Thereafter,microcontroller 23 starts to scan keypad 5 in a tight loop 87 aroundstep “ENTER” 88 until and unless a player presses the “ENTER” button 8.Once a player does press “ENTER” button 8, the subroutine shown in FIG.6c exits after clearing the flag set in step 85.

[0043] In the environment shown in FIG. 1, a cashier that operatespoint-of-sale terminal 3 handles bingo pager 1. In many bingo hallshowever, bingo cards are sold “on the floor” rather than through apoint-of-sale terminal. Fortunately, bingo pager 1 is readily adaptablefor use in a floor sales environment. In such an environment, a playerenters pack identification numbers 64 and 65 into keypad 5, and bingocaller terminal 2 transmits bingo pack identification numbers 64 and 65,instead of manufacturer's identification number 67 in the destinationfield 44 of the data packets shown in FIGS. 3d-3 f. Note that theoverall range of sold bingo packs must be known before a bingo gamebegins in order to prevent cheating. Therefore, the overall range ofpacks or cards being played can be easily entered into bingo callerterminal 2 by bingo caller via touchscreen 12 instead of beingtransmitted from the point-of-sale terminal 3. Similarly, it is not anoverwhelming task, especially being guided and assisted by theconvenient data entry template displayed on LCD 4 as shown in FIG. 4h,for a player to enter via keypad 5 the identification numbers of thefirst 64 and the last 65 purchased bingo packs. It is rather simple tomodify the program running on microcontroller 23 to track a range ofdestination fields instead of only one specific destination address.Note also that instead of pack identification numbers 64 and 65, the“face” numbers of the first card on the first and the last pack may beutilized as shown in FIG. 4i. In the latter case, bingo caller terminal2 will have to transmit respective “face” numbers instead ofmanufacturer's identification number 67 in the destination field 44shown in FIGS. 3d-3 f.

[0044] Bingo pager 1 is also readily adaptable for receiving anddisplaying general-purpose game relevant information. For example, bingopager 1 can display an outcome of a game as illustrated in FIG. 4n,session and a game names as shown in FIG. 4a, advertising information asshown in FIG. 4g, and generally, any arbitrary message as indicated inFIG. 4o. Moreover, capabilities of bingo pager 1 can be expandedsignificantly through the use of a main menu 89 illustrated in FIG. 4k.The main menu 89 is accessible through key 9 of keypad 5. For example,by selecting the first selection “BINGO PACKS” shown in FIG. 4k, aplayer can access the pack entry screen shown in FIG. 4h. Moreover, mainmenu 89 of the type shown in FIG. 4k may be utilized to access gamesother than bingo. For example, bingo pager 1 can conceivably displaycurrent status of a variety of games as long as the status is determinedand transmitted by a central computer in a manner similar to bingocaller terminal 2.

[0045] Bingo pager 1 can be equipped with a broad variety of input andoutput peripherals. Up to this point, the only capability of BlueTooth®transceiver 29 utilized in bingo pager 1 was the capability to receivedata. However, BlueTooth transceiver's 29 capability to transmit data isadvantageous for expansion of the field of applications of bingo pager1. For example, BlueTooth® transceiver 29 can send out requests forservice, such as requests for change 90 and/or cocktails 91asillustrated in FIG. 4k. Similarly, it can signal a desire of the playerto purchase additional bingo cards. To initiate a service request, aplayer simply presses menu button 9 on keypad 5 and subsequently entersa respective selection, such as selections 90 and 91, via keypad 5. Inresponse, microcontroller 23 sends via BlueTooth® transceiver 29 anencoded message to a remote point of service terminal equipped with amatching BlueTooth® transceiver. Similarly, bingo pager 1 can sendarbitrary data to bingo caller terminal 2 and/or to point-of-saleterminal 3. For example, a “feedback” data sent by bingo pager 1 caninclude an identification of bingo cards purchased on the floor in amanner described above. In the latter case, bingo pager 1 becomesessentially a mobile point-of-sale terminal carrying out certainfunctions of point-of-sale terminal 3. Also, bingo pager 1 can be usedto play so-called “do-it-yourself” or “U-pick 'em” bingo cards, whereina player selects his/her favorite bingo numbers, typically seven bingonumbers, and the player-selected numbers form a “do-it-yourself “bingocard as shown in FIG. 41. Through main menu of FIG. 4k, a player canaccess a “U-pick 'em”=0 screen and enter the player's selections viakeypad 5 resulting in a bingo card shown in FIG. 41 displayed on display4. Once a “U-pick 'em” card is fully entered by a bingo player, itscontents can be transmitted by bingo pager 1 to bingo caller terminal 2using transceiver 29. Note that throughout the entire above description,a generic term “bingo card” is equally applicable to both “electronic”bingo cards and conventional “paper” bingo cards.

[0046] Although the above description presumes that a BlueTooth®transceiver is utilized in bingo pager 1, a broad variety of wirelesscommunication devices other than BlueTooth® transceivers and techniquesincluding not only radio but also infrared and ultrasound communicationscan be utilized in implementing the invented system. In particular, theassortment of applicable communication methods includes a broad varietyof conventional data integrity, data compression and data securitytechniques. A particularly recommended technique, especially in the caseof a limited-capacity wireless communication channel operating in anoisy environment, is the utilization of redundant prioritized dataqueues. For example, the notification of winning bingo pagers 1, may beassigned higher priority than the notification of the units that are onenumber away from bingo, and the notification of the units two or morenumbers away from bingo may be assigned even lower priority. Such aprioritization technique is illustrated in FIG. 7 wherein a packet 92notifying “UNIT A” about bingo is transmitted first of all and isrepeated three times. The notification of the “UNIT B” 93 that is “ON”follows the notification of the “UNIT A” and is repeated only twice. Thenotification of the “UNIT C” 94 and of the “UNIT D” 95 that are two ormore numbers away from bingo is performed only once and at the lastopportunity.

[0047] Although the above description presumes that bingo pager 1 isequipped with an inexpensive five-by-fourteen character display 4, itnevertheless is capable of indicating matches between called bingonumbers and matching bingo card numbers 96 by simply underlying thematching bingo numbers as shown in FIG. 1. Even smaller displays, suchas a one-line by twelve character display, can be used since theinformation displayed on the screen can easily be scrolled. On the otherhand, with the progress of technology more advanced displays, includingcolor-graphics displays may become affordable for utilization in bingopager 1. Moreover, touchscreens may be utilized in lieu of or inaddition to keypad 4.

[0048] Although the invention has been described in detail withreference to a preferred embodiment, additional variations andmodifications exist within the scope and spirit of the invention asdescribed and defined in the following claims.

We claim:
 1. An automated system for playing a bingo game including: acentral data processing means in combination with at least oneelectronic pager and in further combination with at least one bingo cardassociated with said electronic pager; said at least one bingo cardcompeting for a winning in said bingo game; said central data processingmeans verifying said at least one bingo card upon calling of a newcalled bingo number in said bingo game and transmitting a current statusof said at least one bingo card in said bingo game; said electronicpager receiving said current status of said at least one bingo card andsignaling said current status of said at least one bingo card. 2.Automated system of claim 1 wherein said electronic pager stores anidentification number of said electronic pager in memory of saidelectronic pager.
 3. Automated system of claim 2 wherein said dataprocessing means includes a point-of-sale terminal inputting saididentification number of said electronic pager and assigning said atleast one bingo card to said electronic pager identified by saididentification number.
 4. Automated system of claim I wherein saidelectronic pager includes a local data entry means and a remote dataentry means.
 5. Automated system of claim 4 wherein said remote dataentry means is a radio-frequency receiver.
 6. Automated system of claim4 wherein an identification of said at least one bingo card assigned tosaid electronic pager is input into said electronic pager via said localdata entry means.
 7. Automated system of claim 1 wherein said electronicpager transmits information to said central data processing means. 8.Automated system of claim 7 wherein said information includes saididentification of said at least one bingo card.
 9. Automated system ofclaim I wherein said central data processing means transmits saidcurrent status over a wireless communication channel.
 10. Automatedsystem of claim I wherein said electronic pager displays anidentification of said at least one bingo card assigned to saidelectronic pager.
 11. Automated system of claim 1 wherein saidelectronic pager displays said at least one bingo card assigned to saidelectronic pager.
 12. Automated system of claim 1 wherein said centraldata processing means transmits said new called bingo number and saidelectronic pager receives and displays said new called bingo number. 13.Automated system of claim12 wherein confirmation of said new calledbingo number is inputted to said electronic pager via a local data entrymeans.
 14. Automated system of claim 1 wherein said central dataprocessing means includes a bingo caller terminal and said point-of-saleterminal transmits sales transaction data to said bingo caller terminal.15. Automated system of claim 14 wherein said sales transaction dataincludes an identification of said electronic pager.
 16. Automatedsystem of claim 1 wherein said electronic pager transmits a servicerequest to a said central data processing means.
 17. Automated system ofclaim 1 wherein said electronic pager displays an advertisement. 18.Automated system of claim 1 wherein said central data processing meansassigns priority to transmission of said current status in an inversecorrelation to a degree of closeness of said at least one bingo card toa winning in said bingo game.
 19. An automated system for playing abingo game including: a central data processing means in communicationwith at least one electronic pager associated with at least one bingocard; said at least one bingo card competing for a winning in said bingogame; said central data processing means, upon calling of a new calledbingo number in said bingo game, transmitting a current status of saidat least one bingo card in said bingo game; said electronic pagerreceiving said current status transmission of said at least one bingocard and signaling said current status of said at least one bingo card.20. Automated system of claim 19 wherein said electronic pager transmitsinformation to said central data processing means.
 21. Automated systemof claim 20 wherein said central data processing means and saidelectronic pager transmit over a wireless communication channel. 22.Automated system of claim 21 wherein said central data processing meanstransmits said new called bingo number and said electronic pagerreceives and displays said new called bingo number.
 23. Automated systemof claim 20 wherein said electronic pager transmits a service request toa said central data processing means.
 24. Automated system of claim 19wherein said electronic pager includes means to display informationreceived from central data processing means.